Daniel Ortiz, who came to Virginia in 1985, has a wide variety of interests. A Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude Yale graduate, he earned a triple major in mathematics, English and history, the arts and letters. Now as a member of the Virginia law faculty, he teaches constitutional law, administrative law, electoral law, civil procedure and legal theory. In 1992 he received the Z Society Distinguished Teaching Award at the University of Virginia. He served as the Harrison Foundation Research Professor in 1992-95, the Elizabeth D. and Richard A. Merrill Research Professor in 1996-99, and the Joseph C. Carter, Jr., Research Professor in 2000-03.

After graduation from Yale, Ortiz spent two years on a Marshall Scholarship at Oxford University, where he completed a Master of Philosophy degree in English studies. Then he returned to Yale for law school and received his J.D. in 1983. He clerked for Judge Stephen G. Breyer of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston and for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Lewis F. Powell, Jr. He was a visiting professor at the University of Southern California in 1991 and 1994-96 and at the University of California at Berkeley (Boalt Hall) in 1999.

“Democratic Norms, Structures, and Conflict,” in John Hardin Young, ed., International Election Principles: Democracy & the Rule of Law 57 (A.B.A. Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice, 2009).

"The Paradox of Mass Democracy," in Ann N. Crigler, ed., Rethinking the Vote: The Politics and Prospects of American Election Reform (Oxford University Press, 2004).

"Legal Authorities for All-Source Domestic Intelligence," in Protecting America's Freedom in the Information Age (Report of the Markle Foundation Task Force on National Security in the Information Age) (2002).

"Limitations upon Interagency Information Sharing: The Privacy Act of 1974" (with Sean Fogarty), in Protecting America's Freedom in the Information Age (Report of the Markle Foundation Task Force on National Security in the Information Age) (2002).

"Federal Legal Constraints on Profiling and Watch Lists" (with Eric Braverman), in Protecting America's Freedom in the Information Age (Report of the Markle Foundation Task Force on National Security in the Information Age) (2002).

To Assure Pride and Confidence in the Electoral Process: Task Force Reports to Accompany the Report of the National Commission on Federal Election Reform (coordinator, Task Force on Legal and Constitutional Issues) (Miller Center of Public Affairs, 2001).

"Congressional Authority to Regulate When Votes Can Be Counted," To Assure Pride and Confidence in the Electoral Process: Task Force Reports to Accompany the Report of the National Commission on Federal Election Reform (Miller Center of Public Affairs, 2001).

"The Federal Regulation of Elections" (ed. and contributor), To Assure Pride and Confidence in the Electoral Process: Task Force Reports to Accompany the Report of the National Commission on Federal Election Reform (Miller Center of Public Affairs, 2001).

"What Counts as a Vote?" (ed. and contributor), To Assure Pride and Confidence in the Electoral Process: Task Force Reports to Accompany the Report of the National Commission on Federal Election Reform (Miller Center of Public Affairs, 2001).